Authorities in central Vietnam have allocated almost VND500 million (US$23,534) to immediately restore old houses and relics in UNESCO-recognized Hoi An Ancient Town. 

The People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province, which is located in the central region, said these structures are in dire need of repair.   

The committee thus decided that roughly VND165 million ($7,766) from the central budget will be spent on repairing two century-old houses at 122 Tran Phu Street and 13 Hoang Van Thu Street in Hoi An.

Another VND329 million ($15,485) from the provincial coffers will also be used to restore relics which are on the brink of collapse within the town.

The old town received 931,379 visits, including 464,608 international ones, within the first six months of this year, up 2.71 percent compared to the same period last year.

In 1999, Hoi An was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO for being a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port from the 15th to 19th centuries, and for housing buildings with a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

Since then, Hoi An has been voted one of the top tourist destinations in the world by several tourism magazines.

It was chosen as the world’s best tourism spot by UK tourism magazine Wanderlust in January 2013.

The town was also ranked second on the Top 10 Asian Cities list by prestigious American tourism magazine Condé Nast Traveler in October last year.

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